


One More Kiss

by serendipityxxi



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2013-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-18 02:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipityxxi/pseuds/serendipityxxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All she wants is one more kiss, no steamboat counting, no Caroline watching. Just one more kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One More Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tempertemper's prompt on Bitesize Bones' ficathon challenge

Seeley Booth has an addictive personality. He's aware of that. It’s part of what helped him become an expert marksman. It helps him to be a great FBI Agent. When he's working a case it consumes his thoughts, driving him onward til the case is solved. He knows there's a downside to that singular focus, knows all too well the drive that tells him one more hand, just one more.

As an addict he knows that the best way to resist temptation is to avoid it entirely. Which is why for the better part of their partnership he's done his best not to think of what it feels like to kiss Temperance Brennan; her mouth soft and full under his, the taste of her, the way she kisses with her whole being, giving as good as she gets. It took him a year to forget how right that felt the last time it happened. So he's neck deep in paperwork at seven at night, even though it's the holidays. 

It was easier when Parker was there distracting him, but Rebecca had collected their son yesterday. This morning he'd gotten distracted brushing his teeth when the mint in his toothpaste reminded him of that kiss. It had been impossible to do that with a demanding little boy around the day before. Since then Booth has absolutely not been replaying the way it felt to kiss Bones nor wishing he could go back for more. Caroline Julian's puckish side is far too manipulative for his tastes, though of course, manipulative and lawyer, they go hand in hand. He knows she meant well, knows she thinks she was doing them a favour but even though he's a gambler he won't gamble on this thing between him and Bones. 

The Caroline in his head scoffs at him. "Every gambler just needs to learn a little temperance, cher," she'd scold, a twinkle in her eyes. 

Booth slammed his desk drawer closed and got to his feet, heading for the gun range. He'd put in a little target practice instead. What he’d really like is one more kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Temperance Brennan caught herself staring at Booth’s mouth yet again. Thankfully Booth was too busy with the scrambled eggs before him to notice. She resolutely refocused her gaze on her plate as well and took a forkful of her own egg white omelette. It had been days since their kiss but she still imagined she felt a tingle there when her mind was distracted. She couldn't get the way he’d felt pressed against her underneath that mistletoe out of her mind. He'd felt like hers. The possessive thought sent a thrill through her senses before she shook it off. One could not belong to someone else. 

Ten minutes went by before she found herself stealing a glance at his lips again, this time while he was in mid-sentence. 

“What? Have I got something?” he brushed at his chin and she shook her head. 

“No. Sorry, I was distracted,” she apologized and dropped her gaze back to her plate. Booth gave her an exasperated look that she actually felt was warranted. She was exasperated with herself as well. She’d been kissed before. She’d even kissed Booth before! It should have been forgettable, just another hoop for them to leap through together. Caroline had been right there, talking during the whole thing. What Temperance had forgotten is the way Seeley Booth kissed, with all his attention on you, all that intense focus he used in interrogation condensed into his touch while he kissed.

There’d been something different about this kiss than the last one they’d shared as well. Something in the way his fingers had lighted on her jaw so gently. There had been... tenderness in his touch that hadn’t been there before. He kissed as if the kiss was about her, not just the physical act itself. She had gotten lost in the moment, something that rarely happened to her. It had then. She’d found herself slipping her tongue out to taste him before she’d even realized it. 

“Bones!” Booth leaned in and shook her shoulder. “Everything alright, Bones?” he asked. 

She watched his mouth form the words. His lips were so close, she thought. Why did he always have to be so close to her? She dragged her attention to his eyes. 

“I'm fine, Booth,” she said firmly and set down her fork. She wiped her lips on her napkin. “I'm sorry. What were you saying?” she asked. 

It had been a good kiss, but that was it. It had been a while since she’d kissed anyone, maybe she was lonely. She certainly did not want just one more kiss from Booth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

New Years had come and gone when Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan entered the residence of one Kayla Applewhite, investigating the disappearance of her brother-in-law, Ralph, twelve years ago. Kayla was a mother of five, all under the age of ten. The children stampeded inside the house, up and down the stairs, screaming and fighting while Kayla tried to answer Booth and Brennan’s questions. She led the partners into her kitchen and stood flipping through her key chain to find the key to the back door. They’d asked to see the annex out back that Ralph had lived in for a time. Her six-year-old started giggling at the pair waiting near the kitchen doorway. 

“Hey kid, what’s so funny?” the man asked, his eyes twinkling at Kayla’s girl. 

Amelia pointed upward. Hanging from the ceiling was a sprig of mistletoe Kayla had forgotten to take down after the holidays. Kayla blushed hotly, while being grateful that she’d managed to get the tree taken down the day before. 

“Now you hafta kiss!” Amelia announced.

“Oh, no, honey, they...” Kayla began but before she got the rest of the sentence out she realized the pair was not listening to her. Their eyes were locked, the man’s in particular seemed to sparkle as he glanced from his partner to the mistletoe and back. 

“It is tradition,” he offered.

“Traditions that are not followed often fall out of fashion and become extinct such as the boxing of goods to be given to the poor on boxing day,” the woman offered. 

Kayla noticed her eyes stayed on his lips.

“Kiss!” Amelia agreed.

The woman laughed and the man reached out to tenderly tuck her hair behind her ears before the pair leaned in. The kiss was nothing special, lips sliding against lips for four, maybe five seconds. Nothing she would cover her daughter’s eyes against. But something about the gesture made Kayla’s breath catch in her chest, there was such longing in that kiss. Kayla almost felt as if she shouldn’t be seeing it. They parted reluctantly moments later. 

He cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets. 

She turned to Kayla. “You were going to show us where Ralph stayed?” she asked, abruptly. 

Kayla ushered them outside and let them inspect the annex. 

Booth conducted his inspection of the rooms with his hand in his pocket, turning his poker chip over and over. He should have known from experience one more would never be enough but he just couldn’t stop himself from going back.

Brennan waited ‘til Booth was turned away to run her fingers over her bottom lip and let slip the smile she’d been fighting. Maybe she wanted just one more...


End file.
